Imagine that the plug of your machine would not fit into the socket. Or the connection of your high-pressure cleaner would not be compatible with the garden tap. Or there would be no suitable plug for the hole you have just drilled. In order for products to fit together and to ensure uniform quality and safety standards in international trade, clear requirements are necessary. This is the responsibility of the „International Organization for Standardization“ (ISO), which celebrates its 74th anniversary on 14 October.
30,000 standards throughout Germany
With a meeting of delegates from 25 countries in London in autumn 1946, the starting shot was given to create an international organization to facilitate standardization. Just one year later, ISO was founded in Geneva. It then took another four years until the very first standard was published under the number ISO/R 1:1951. This standard, which contains specifications for the "standard reference temperature for industrial length measurement", is still valid today with its revision status of 2016. Today, there is a large number of standards for a wide range of industries, products and services. In Germany alone, there are approximately 30,000 standards of the German Institute for Standardisation (DIN).
Promote trade and consider social & environmental aspects
Approximately 28,500 experts from companies, research institutions, the public sector and consumers work for DIN every day. The focus is by no means only on the standardisation of dimensions, but a variety of aspects play a role, including the promotion of competitiveness and innovative solutions and thus the support of global trade. But social and environmental aspects are also in the foreground, in order to be able to reduce the impact of industrial production and facilitate the re-use of limited resources in the long term. Each ISO year has a new motto that addresses current issues in standardisation. Most recently, ISO focused on the topic of sustainability in 2020 with the message "Protecting the planet with standards", which will be replaced this year by the motto "Our shared vision for a better world".
In order to be able to guarantee a high level of safety and quality at all times, there is a large number of norms and standards in the field of machine technology, which we at Stürmer Maschinen scrutinise with a critical eye every day. Creating standard-compliant operating instructions with high-quality drawings and implementing risk analyzes therefore form the core of our work. But ensuring high-quality customer service is also a top priority for us. For this reason, we have established a complex quality management system over the years, which enables us to respond to customer requirements and enquiries in a targeted, timely and best possible manner. The ISO 9001: 2015 quality management certificate guarantees that at Stürmer you can always rely on a first-class service that meets international standards.